US 2011/0216222 A1Published application

Imaging apparatus and image capturing method

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorsKazuya NIYAGAWA, Yuuji Kasuya

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Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an acquisition unit; a filter unit carrying out average differential filtering for image data acquired; a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filter by the filter unit on the basis of the feature quantity stored; a focusing unit carrying out focusing control to be focused on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected; an image capturing unit capturing an image focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected; and a shutter speed control unit, when the face area of the subject is detected, increasing a shutter speed during the focusing control and during capturing the still image compared to a shutter speed when the face area of the subject is not detected.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An imaging apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires image data including a subject;
a filter unit which carries out average differential filtering for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit;
a storage unit which stores a feature quantity calculated from data obtained through average differential filtering for face image data of a subject of the same kind as the subject in advance;
a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filtering by the filter unit on the basis of the feature quantity stored in the storage unit;
a focusing unit which carries out focusing control to focus on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected;
and
an image capturing unit which captures an image focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected;
and
wherein the imaging apparatus comprises a shutter speed control unit which, when the face area of the subject is detected, increases a shutter speed during the focusing control and during capturing the still image compared to a shutter speed when the face area of the subject is not detected.

6 more elements

An imaging apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires image data including a subject;
a filter unit which carries out average differential filtering for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit;
a storage unit which stores a feature quantity calculated from data obtained through average differential filtering for face image data of a subject of the same kind as the subject in advance;
a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filtering by the filter unit by using the feature quantity stored in the storage unit;
a focusing unit which carries out focusing control to be focused on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected;
and
an image capturing unit which captures an image focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected;
and
wherein the imaging apparatus comprises an aperture control unit which, when the face area of the subject is detected, increases an aperture value during capturing the still image compared to when the face area of the subject is not detected.

6 more elements

An imaging apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires image data including a subject;
a filter unit which carries out average differential filtering for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit;
a storage unit which stores a feature quantity calculated from data obtained through average differential filtering for face image data of a subject of the same kind as the subject in advance;
a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filtering by the filter unit on the basis of the feature quantity stored in the storage unit;
a focusing unit which carries out focusing control to be focused on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected;
an image capturing unit which captures an image with focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected;
a zoom unit which enlarges an image with optical zoom and digital zoom in accordance with a user's operation;
and
a selection unit which selects whether or not to detect the face area of the subject by the face area detection unit in accordance with a user's operation;
and
wherein the imaging apparatus comprises a zoom control unit which, when the selection means selects to detect the face area of the subject, inhibits image enlargement by optical zoom of the zoom unit and permits only image enlargement by digital zoom.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.